Telltale



Iinserted from the front side-of the panel.

52,207,501 Y A. Douglas, Bronson, mn.,:-- wimoia 1 Kingston Products Corporation,- Kokomo; 1116.,

a corporation of Indiana 1 Y Application June 21, 1937," SeriaiNo. ;149,52 s;

scram. (min-3'29) invention relates generally to electric fsignalling devices and more particularlyhas to -"fdo with what is called a telltale device, and one object of the invention is to provide improved means wherebyto mount the-device on an ini strument panel or othersupport.

1 More specifically one object of the invention is. to provide a tubular housing. formed to carry a lamp and contact means therefore at one ex- 1. tremity, and provided with a plurality of resilient I members or fingers at the other extremitm at" least some of the fingers being provided with a flange and a cam which are adapted to cooperate with'the sides of'the panel whereby to maintain 1| the housing in 'apredetermi'ned position thereon. Another object is to provide a lenshaving a holder therefor which is'provided with a number of resilient elongated projections, at least some of which are adapted to cooperate with the fingers go provided on said housing ln' a manner whereby said lens may. be detachablyv connected to said housing before orafter the "housing'is snapped- 1 into place in the support, the resilient projections also acting upon said fingers so that the housing ,5 will be more firmly held in place upon said sup- I A\ I v Q I A iurther'object is to provide an arrangement in which a number of the resilient projections on the'lens holder serve to exclude some of the light rays from the lamp frompassi'ng through the openings or slots betweenthef fingers on the housing. -Many other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled inthe art after considering the description hereinafter set forth in connection with'the drawing annexed hereto.

Referring to the drawing: I Figure 1 is a side view in elevation of the tello .tale device assembled to an instrum'entpanel;

Figure 2 is a bottom view, ,1 partly in section, 1 taken substantially on linef2-2 of Figure 1;

'Figure 3 is an enlarged section of a part of the v Referring to the drawing, numeral i represents an instrument panel or other support provided with a circular aperture 2, and it is through this aperture that the telltale device is adapted to be As clearly sh the housing forming a part of the telltale device is comprised of a relatively long cylindrical extremity 3, and a rather short but enlarged cylindrical extremity 4.- Adjacent the junction-between the. extremities, there is pro- 6 vided in lthe extremity 3 a pair of bayonet slots 5, diametrically arranged,and these are adapted to receive a pair of bayonet pins 6 projecting from '1 the baseof the lamp 1. A contact means generalcontact 12 provided on'the base of the lamp. Thus, it isapparent that the extremity 3 provides a socket-for a lamp, and a carries the contact means 8;" 1

Considering how the improved means whereby to detachably connectgthe deviceto the instruorient panel 1, the extremity l of the housing is provided with a plurality of parallel slots or openings i3-which form aplurality of resilient members or fingers i4, preferably five in number and an of the same circumferential extent. Although it is not essential, each of the fingers i4 is preferably provided with an'outwardly extending pro- ;je'ction or bead i5 having an angular cam portion it formed thereonas most clearly shown lnFig- Iure 3; Each of the fingers I is also provided with an outwardly extending ,fiange i'l whichis adapted to abut the front sideoi the instrument panel. When the telltaledevice is inserted through the aperture 2 of the instrument panel I, from the front side thereof the flanges l1 abut the front side of the panel; and the cam portions It on the'beads iS-engage'the rear. arris or'marginal 4 edge of the aperturefl2,; and since thefingers i4 are resilient, the fingers are placed under tensionand expand s'uillcie'ntly'to resiliently'retain the I device in a predetermined-f position with respect to the panel. In effect the cams'iB and flanges i1 substantially provide V-shaped seats adapted to receive the margins of the aperture in the panel, and the flanges i! are pressed against the front side of the panel. It is to be here noted that the cam portions iii are of such a character that they will act and hold the telltale device with respect to panels or supports in which the thickness thereof varies.

A lens l8 preferably concave-convex in form to receive a portion of the lamp bulb, is adapted to 5| be carried by the housing, and as here shown, the lens is mounted in a lens holder 20. The lens holder is of such a character that a portion thereof is adapted to engage the front side of the instrument panel, and receive but not engage the flanges l'l provided on the fingers M. This holder 2!) is provided with a plurality of outwardly extending elongated projections 2|, preferably six in number and of the same circumferential extent, but of less circumferential extent than that of fingers H. A detent 22 is preferably provided adiacent the free end of each of the projections 2i, and these are adapted to cooperate with the inner sides of the fingers ll. Although it is not essential it is preferable that at least some of the fingers normally assume a cocked position before they are inserted in the extremity 4, and these elongated projections function to detachably retain the lens in relation to the extremity 4 of the housing, and also act to spread apart the fingers I in order to more firmly hold the housing in place. Obviously, the lens may be inserted into the housing before or after the latter is connected to the instrument panel, and it is to be noted that at least one or more of the elongated resilient projections 2| on the lens holder overlie at least one or more of the slots 13 to exclude some of the rays of light from the lamp from passing through the longitudinal slots or openings l3 provided in the extremity I. As clearly shown in the drawing, the propections II are preferably made so that the circumferential extent of each is greater than the width of any of the slots II.

It is thus evident that the invention is directed to improved means whereby a telltale device and other devices embodying the invention may be detachably secured to an instrument panel or other support, and that the telltale housing is provided with a plurality of resilient fingers which cooperate with the margin of the aperture in the panel in a manner to maintain the housing in a predetermined position with respect thereto, that the elongated projections on the lens holder serve to detachably connect the lens with respect to the housing, and provide additional forces acting upon the resilient fingers provided on the housing in order to more firmly hold thehousing in said predetermined DOSHHOIL Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of the invention; and therefore, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, herein shown and described.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a device of the kind described, a relatively thin support provided with an aperture, a tubular housing extending through said aperture and provided with a plurality of integral resilient fingers, and a lens holder provided with resilient elongated projections cooperating with said resilient fingers whereby to hold said holder in relation to said housing and press said fingers against the margins of said aperture .to hold said housing in a predetermined position with respect to said support.

2. A support provided with a circular aperture, a tubular housing provided with a plurality of resilient fingers, each of said fingers being provided with a flange abutting one side of the support and a cam spaced apart from said flange cooperating with the other side of said support whereby to resiliently retain said housing in a predetermined position on said support, and resilient means movable transversely to the axis of said aperture cooperating with at least some of the fingers on said housing acting to expand same.

3. A device of the kind described, a support provided with an aperture, a housing extending through said aperture, a lamp and contact means carried by said housing, a plurality of fingers provided adjacent one extremity of said housing, at least some of said fingers being provided with a flange and a cam respectively abutting the front and rear sides of said support, and a lens having a holder provided with radially movable means cooperating with and acting upon at least some of said fingers whereby to detachably hold saidv lens in place and assist in maintaining said housing in a predetermined position on said support.

4. In a device of the kind described, a tubular housing provided with a plurality of spaced apart resilient fingers, a lens holder provided with resilient projections adapted to cooperate with said fingers to urge same outwardly.

5. In a device of the kind described and in combination, a support provided with an aperture, a

housing extending through said aperture provided with a plurality of spaced apart resilient fingers, spaced apart portions provided on at least two of said fingers cooperating with the respective sides of said support, and detachable resilient means cooperating with said fingers adapted to urge said fingers outwardly whereby to better hold the housing in place in said aperture.

6. In a device of the kind described a support provided with an aperture, a tubular housing extending through said aperture provided with a plurality of spaced apart fingers, spaced apart portions provided on at least two of said fingers to substantially form V-shaped seats adapted to receive the margins of said aperture, and a lens holder provided with resilient means of a greater width than the width of the spaces between said fingers adapted to cooperate with and act upon at least two of said fingers in a manner whereby to better hold the housing in place and cover some of the spaces between said resilient fingers.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

